The present inventors developed an apparatus for separating high-concentration alcohol from alcohol (See JP-A-2001-314724).
In this separating apparatus, an ultrasonic atomizing chamber of a closed construction is filled will an alcohol solution, the alcohol solution in this ultrasonic atomizing chamber is ultrasonically vibrated with ultrasonic vibrators and thereby atomized into a mist, and the atomized mist is condensed and collected, whereby a high-concentration alcohol solution is separated out. The mechanism by which this separating apparatus is able to separate out high-concentration alcohol as a target substance is as follows.
Alcohol has a greater tendency than water to migrate to the surface of a solution, and the concentration of alcohol in the solution at the surface is high. When in this state the solution is ultrasonically vibrated, high-concentration alcohol turns into mist in the air under the energy of the ultrasonic vibration and is released in fine particles. The mist released into the air has a high concentration of alcohol. This is because the solution at the surface, where the alcohol concentration is high, readily turns into mist. Consequently, when the mist is condensed and collected, a high-concentration alcohol solution is obtained. With this method it is possible to separate out a high-concentration alcohol solution without heating the solution. Because of this, it is possible to separate a target substance to a high concentration with a low energy consumption. And, because there is no heating, there is also the advantage that the target substance can be separated without it being decomposed.